F3 Design is an award winning Christchurch based architectural design company led by Pippin Wright-Stow.
On entry you can see through to where the beer is being brewed through the large glazed wall. This glazed wall connects the front of house to the brewery with hinged doors able to be swung back to show off the mechanisms of the brewery, or make space for the band on a Saturday night.
The glass panes in the dividing wall are glazed into a custom made painted steel frame with industrial latches. The panes are purposefully mismatched - as if replaced over the years as breakages occurred. The fine steel joinery is welded up from scratch by those who manufactured the beer tanks.
The front counter references the glazed wall - with rectangular forms and a range of reflective surfaces. It functions by hinging open to allow for beer posters to be displayed. The countertop is made of simple stained plywood. Behind the bar green tiles add texture and a layer of refinement and contrast to the stainless beer taps.
Above the bar hovers a mezzanine floor further enhancing the strong link between the front of house and the productive warehouse.
The design harks back to an era when materials were strong and long-lasting - this is a craft brewery with a crafted fit-out.
_______________________________________________
2022 Regional Award Recipient - ADNZ Resene Architectural Design Awards - Commercial Interior
2022 Best Awards Finalist in the Hospitality & Repurposed Spaces categories.
Lyttelton Landing was constructed as a prototype residential home for F3 Design's Pippin Wright-Stow. This family home makes use of the strength of the Boxus building system to perch high on a hill above Lyttelton Harbour, Banks Peninsula. At 66m2, Lyttelton Landing is an example of how intelligent design can create high quality, small living spaces.
With all the structural support being within the steel frames of the Boxus modules, the walls have no bracing and therefore allow ease of renovation, change or replacement should there be future earthquakes or the need to extend the house.
"A total of eight Boxus modules make up the 66 square metre house, sitting two deep and protruding towards the harbour. The new house boasts a tiny footprint, yet at the same time projects a sense of openness via the expansive windows. The walls are lined with timber, which provides both warmth and texture to balance the industrial feel of the steel frames and concrete floor."
As featured in the book Rebuilt by Lucinda Diack, Your Home and Garden and Homes to Love.
_______________________________________________________
2017 ADNZ Resene Design Awards -National Winner in the Residential up to 150m2 Category as well as National Finalist in the Residential Interiors Category.
#chchswing is a brightly coloured sculptural swing with a twist. The design utilises a forced perspective focal point, where the squares line up within each other to form a picture frame. Innovative engineering and design make the angled frames simply emerge from the ground as if half buried into the surface. #chchswing is a sophisticated architectural playground to appeal to the Instagram generation, the joy and fun it creates visible in every uploaded photo.
_______________________________________________
2020 Best Awards Finalist in the Exhibitions & Temporary Structures Category.
The 1960’s building was an existing mechanic’s workshop. It was sold ‘as is’, including the car hoists and a healthy amount of grime.
F3 Design in collaboration with Coll Architecture converted the space into a relaxed co-working environment which offers private offices as well as the benefits of an adaptable and collaborative network.
The spatial planning of the renovation was driven by the location of the existing hoists. Glass houses have been positioned where cars were likely to have been parked. These unique office spaces serve to give both security and acoustic privacy, while still maintaining visual connection throughout.
A used shipping container has been suspended on the existing four post car hoist to provide a private meeting room. Recycled Rimu planks were made into a custom long table sized precisely for this space. The second leftover car hoist has been refashioned with a recycled timber table top and can be lifted and lowered using the hoist’s original controls.
While incorporating brand new health & safety features, and energy efficient insulation & heating upgrades, many of the materials used have otherwise been salvaged and recycled. Repurposed oil drums, collected from a neighboring mechanic have become lockers, planter boxes, bike stands, seats, light fittings, and even a sculptural dividing wall.
Hundreds of plants have also been spread throughout the building, creating an interior rainforest and biophilic connection to support wellbeing and cognitive function.
‘Vivid blues, fire engine reds and industrial yellows contrast against historic fixtures, while salvaged materials and greenery bring energy and optimism to this eclectic work space.
A brave design focused on celebrating the workshop’s history while harnessing and enhancing the creativity which now happens within the space. ‘
_______________________________________________
ADNZ Resene Architectural Design Awards -National winner of the 2021 Resene Colour in Design award & National Finalist in the Commercial Interior Category.
2021 Best Awards Finalist in both Office and Workplace Environments Category as well as Repurposed Spaces Category.
A passing girl looked up longingly and asked if she was allowed to go play in that “Sky Playground”. She named and defined this project - Sky Playground is an enticement towards the school and an invitation to play. The playground complements the existing building and defines this prominent urban corner while providing spaces with intimacy at a child’s own scale. The hard wearing materials are artistically woven into a place to play, think and dream.
Testimonial from Cathedral Grammar: "You've taken the rough concept we had and turned it into a magnificent reality that perfectly meets the brief for corner site wow factor, engaging and creative play structure and fit with the existing building. Thanks so much for making this happen! I can confidently say that we would not have got there without you."
_______________________________________________________
2019 ADNZ Resene Architectural Design Awards National Finalist in Resene Colour in Design Category
2019 ADNZ Resene Architectural Design Awards National Highly Commended in Commercial/Industrial Category
2019 Best Design Awards Bronze Award winner in the Built Environment Category.
The Green Lab is a moveable, multi-use space developed by F3 Design for a Christchurch not-for-profit organisation. The structure does not compromise practicality for aesthetics, it is strong, safe and practical while retaining an attractive street appeal. The white washed interior combines modern aesthetics with the functionality of your most organised backyard shed.
Credits:
Initial design concept: Jonathan Hall of Variant
Fit Out: Jordan Hampson of The Green Lab & Bespoke Outdoors
Construction: Simon and Jane of Plain & Simple
Photography: Mick Stephenson, Pippin Wright-Stow
_______________________________________________________
2020 ADNZ Resene Design Awards National Winner - Commercial Interior
Judges Commented that ““The ambition – to create a mobile, multi-use space for a not-for-profit organisation in Christchurch – was admirable and one that could have an immediate impact on communities. But what makes this project successful is the way this ambition has been realised.
Small but perfectly formed, this design stood out to the judges for the love and thought that had clearly been invested: every surface exudes care and attention whilst maintaining a warm, inviting feel. A well-groomed garden shed: not too rough and rugged but not too fussy or preened either. The LVL timber beams are exposed but also inconspicuously joined and whitewashed. And while it maintains the overall aesthetic of a container potting shed, the high insulation, double glazing, and clerestory windows ensure a level of warmth and light that encourages occupation rather than storage.
The innovative use of CNC’d furniture – seats, tables, shelves etc - that pops out from the interior ply cladding, transforms the space from a simple box to a comfortable environment for a workshop, office, classroom, meeting hub…whatever it needs to be, wherever it is needed.”
An uncompromising, radical outlier in the heritage neighbourhood in which it was built in 1968, the former home of the CSA is one of the few buildings from this era left in central Christchurch. Precast panels and in-situ cast exposed concrete dress the front, announcing its alignment with Brutalism and Modernism. Today the building is a celebrated purpose-built gallery, one of the few that makes use of natural light – in this case it flows through the pyramid light wells that protrude from the roofline.
Original Architect: Minson, Henning Hansen & Dines, 1968
Refurbishment / Repair/ Renovation: F3 Design 2011-2016
Due to the Canterbury earthquakes, the Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA) needed major strengthening and repairs, which became an exciting opportunity for refurbishment and alterations. F3 Design were involved in all aspects of this work, working in close collaboration with builders and the Trust over 5 years.
CoCA is a Canterbury icon, being one of the largest private galleries in New Zealand. This example of brutalist architecture has been lovingly restored by F3 Design with attention to clean lines, details that honour it's modernist style, and prominence of materials such as raw concrete
"A clear future for CoCA" - The Press
Listen Up Otautahi: https://listenupotautahi.stqry.app/1/list/4978/story/80028
_______________________________________________
2016 ADNZ Resene Architectural Design Awards -Highly Commended Award in the Commercial Interior Category
SiloStay is a a serviced apartment complex located in the heart of Little River, Banks Peninsula. Take a walk around the complex, or through a Silo.
F3 Design saw this project through from concept to completion, winning the National ADNZ award for Commercial Interior in 2014.
SiloStay has eight single units and an accessible/family unit. Each two storey silo is designed to maximise use of space and a sense of privacy for the guests.
The unique interior design features make SiloStay both comfortable and stylish. There is a glazed roof light allowing a glimpse of the night sky while relaxing in bed. The shower is accommodated beside the queen size bed upstairs with clever recycling of hot water to heat the towels.
The SiloStay Complex also has a custom designed energy silo with glazed panels to house the energy unit. This energy unit houses a gravity fed wood pellet boiler to heat the complex.
As featured in these publications and blogs:
FX Magazine, October 2011
De Zeen Magazine, September 2011
Co.DESIGN, September 2011
Stuart Wright-Stow was interviewed by Country Life presenter, Cosmo Kentish-Barnes, on Radio New Zealand National, about the SiloStay project.
To stay at SiloStay visit: https://www.silostay.kiwi.nz/
_______________________________________________
2014 ADNZ Resene Architectural Design Awards -National Winner of the Commercial Interior Category.
ArtBox was constructed with the Boxus system - a modular building concept designed by F3 Design to meet a need for temporary, mobile structures in the post-earthquake environment in Christchurch.
The Boxus system allows for a stable structure that can be used with minimal foundations and repurposed for permanent dwellings (see Lyttelton Landing). The Boxus building system is flexible, adaptable and sustainable.
Initially located on the corner of Madras and St Asaph Streets, and was then re-located for a time across Madras to the ARA institutes campus, ArtBox is made from a cluster of 2.9 metre cube Boxus modules and was set up by ARA (CPIT) as a short-term (five years) precinct designed to 'seed a return of arts to the central city'. The original site is now home to the ever-evolving Boxed Quater. A mixed-use laneways development housing cafe's, studios, hair dressers and more, and built with the Boxus system.
F3 Design's ArtBox and BeatBox projects feature as part of a documentary for the Future Christchurch - Imagine (10.05 min)
The Press 2013 - Precinct one out of the box
This Okuti Valley renovation extended and redesigned a family home. The centre of the house is cosy and contained, with a sense of history in it's materials; such as the patina of the original brick fire-surround and the rusty steel beams.
As you move away from the centre, the house opens to it's environment, through the use of soaring roof-lines with glass and galvanised steel.
The glass canopy extends the living area to the outside. It harnesses solar gain in the winter and protects from overheating in the summer. The canopy is an example of the use of commercial construction techniques for ease of assembly in this rural setting. Other examples of this method of construction are bolt-together steel portals and the craned-in pre-stressed concrete deck and step panels.
The building has wool insulation, rain water harvesting and under-floor heating from a large wetback and solar panels. The on-site grey water treatment utilises bark filled baskets and terraced reed beds and a series of interlinking ponds are used for sediment control and wild life preservation.
Featured in Homestyle Magazine, 2009.
Original House - Circa 1992
F3 Design love the challenge of meeting a client's individual needs. This can at times call for custom fit-outs and one of kind designs that is both practical, attractive and reflects strongly the client's style.
This custom design can be seen in the following projects:
Underground Coffee Colombo Kiosk: A custom fit-out for Underground's Kiosk at The Colombo using raw steel and recycled Rimu. F3 reconditioned a second hand bench unit and constructed a wall unit. Maximising space and creating visual brand touchpoint within a food court were key elements to this project.
F3 Design Furniture: Quality, NZ Made custom furniture that is stylish and functional.
Café Lumes Outdoor Seating: F3 Design created an outdoor seating area within the carpark of Café Lumes on Fitzgerald Avenue that added more seating space for the café under the shade of the trees outside.
Dance-O-Mat: F3 Design designed the hugely popular "Dance-o-Mat" for Gapfiller in Christchurch.
The Reading Room: A temporary street furniture project for the Christchurch City Council which involved large astroturf couches.
Dance-O-Mat -A coin-operated ex-laundromat washing machine powers four speakers which surround a custom-made, sprung dance floor. The idea for the Dance-O-Mat was born at a cafe with a laundromat out the front and was Gap Filler’s response to the lack of spaces for dance post-quake seeking to bring people, life and energy back to the city. Over a decade on, it has become a much-loved inclusive amenity.
To use the Dance-O-Mat, plug in any device with a headphone jack or use Bluetooth to connect to the converted washing machine, insert $2 to activate the power and get dancing! $2 gets you 30 minutes of lighting and sound.
Tens of thousands of people have used the Dance-O- Mat, even Prince Charles and Camilla in November 2012 on their Royal Jubilee tour.
The Dance-O-Mat was first located on a vacant site (a former car rental place) on St Asaph Street in 2012 and has occupied three different gaps in the city since then.
The Dance-O-Mat not only creates spontaneous interactions between people from all walks of life, but brings energy and vibrancy to the immediate vicinity in the city. It creates a spectacle for passers-by to observe and enjoy, imbuing the area with a sense if possibility and fun.
_______________________________________________________
2012 Resene Architectural Design Awards Regional Finalist in the Earthquake Response Design Award category.
Super Street Arcade is a Gap Filler project completed in 2016. It is essentially a giant outdoor arcade game system composed of an oversized joystick and a five-metre-wide gaming screen located at a busy intersection in central Christchurch.
The Controller needs to be operated by two or three people with one person on the joystick and one or two others to jump on the oversized buttons. The active and social nature of the game harks back to the arcade gaming scene of the 80's and encourages today's young gamers to get out and get active with friends. Super Street Arcade is a double-spectacle: the video game is fun to watch and so are the people playing.
The mainstay games have been Attack of the Cones by Cerebral Fix, and Space Raiders by Def Logic – both local Christchurch developers.
In Attack of the Cones you guide the hero of the game, Captain Jimmy Wheeler, on his fast bike and salvaged alien blaster on a mission through Christchurch to save us from the invasion of alien road cones. Featuring colourful Christchurch characters and well-known landmarks that are bound to make you smile. In the six months Attack of the Cones was active, it was played over 100,000 times!
Space Raiders is an homage to Space Invaders from the 1980s, with a distinctive Christchurch twist.